Here’s how you can make a difference.
(This article was originally published on www.Aish.com.)
The Internet and social media have brought about significant changes in our world, akin to the impact of industrial and agricultural revolutions. With a simple swipe, you can share ideas, images, and videos across the globe. Although experts argue about the prevalence of bots on social media, billions of real users engage on various platforms like Instagram, Twitter, TikTok, Facebook, WhatsApp, Telegram, and more.
Social media has become a modern-day town square, where viral campaigns can rival mass demonstrations. You’ve seen the power of such campaigns in real-life movements like #MeToo and the so-called Arab Spring. Unfortunately, this potential hasn’t gone unnoticed by those with malicious intent, including groups like Hamas, which has used social media for propaganda and misinformation.
One disturbing example occurred when Hamas terrorists documented their massacre and shared them on social media, likely as an attempt to induce fear and weaken the spirits of Israelis.
The outcome was quite the opposite, as it brought Israelis together, internally uniting them against a common threat, and externally generating sympathy for Israel.
This revolting act was transformed by pro-Israel activists into a successful online campaign that condemned Hamas as an ISIS-like group. It also highlighted the grim reality that it was the deadliest day for Jewish people since the Holocaust. Amazingly, both of these points found their way into President Biden’s speech a couple of days ago, demonstrating the reach and influence of social media on policy makers and elected officials.
Pro-Israel messages shared by influencers, journalists, and decision-makers have a tangible impact. The more support Israel garners, the more time it has to achieve its military goals on the ground. As footage of Israel’s military operations and collateral damage will surely surface, foreign decision-makers will face increasing pressure to balance their constituencies’ expectations with Israel’s needs.
Finally, the heartwarming videos of support rallies and prayer sessions, footage of soldiers’ resilience, and civil initiatives to support affected families are immensely impactful. They not only boost the spirits of the Israeli home front but also enhance the soldiers’ ability to defend their country.
Social media is a simple, powerful way in which you can contribute to Israel’s cause and to the current war. Remember that your goal is to maximize the exposure of pro-Israel and anti-Hamas content and minimize the exposure of the opposite, and here are six pointers to make more impact using your social media accounts:
Make sure you follow, share content and contribute in any way possible to some of the many great pro-Israel outlets out there, such as Stand With Us, Students Supporting Israel, The Simon Wiesenthal Center, The Anti-Defamation League (ADL), Stop Antisemitism, Creative Communities for Peace, The AJC, to name a few; as well as pro-Israel influencers such as Emily Schrader, Yosef Haddad, Rudy Rochman, Bari Weiss, Mayim Bialik, and others. And of course, AISH’s accounts too!
Despite the fact that every interaction with a post boosts its popularity, commenting on posts, sharing them, and watching clips until the last second usually create more traffic in comparison to simply “liking” them. For this exact same reason, it’s also advisable to avoid interacting with posts which contain fake news or defamations against Israel or support for Hamas - rather, make sure to report them as hate speech using the special “report” option, and simply move on.
When uploading your own content, or when sharing someone else’s content with your own thoughts, make sure that it’s available to the public and not only to your friends. Also, don’t forget to tag your posts using some widespread hashtags, “labels” which help promote campaigns and create online trends. Some of these currently include: #IStandWithIsrael, #IsraelUnderAttack, #HamasIsISIS, #HamasWarCrimes, and more - having in mind that these are dynamic and can change all the time.
Immigrants to Israel and supporters from outside of Israel have an edge which many Israelis may lack: the ability to reach out to people from outside of the “bubble” or echo-chamber of pro-Israel activity. Your barber, friend from basketball practice, college schoolmate who’s never been into politics, non-Jewish neighbor, old pal who’s now an international businessperson or superstar or CEO of a social media platform - all of these can potentially help spread our messages outside of our close circles and make it to new audiences. Try reaching out personally, telling them about the situation and asking if they can help spread awareness of what’s happening on their accounts by sharing a post you found especially important.
Make sure you share, boost, and promulgate pro-Israel messages which would reach influencers and policy makers to enhance Israel’s maneuvering opportunities and materials which can boost morale, resilience and strength of Israeli citizens and soldiers; and resist Hamas’s psychological warfare for the benefit of everyone.
Finally, don’t forget to put down your phone! It’s very difficult not to get sucked into the vortex of news and posts, but do yourself and your surroundings a favor and every now and then put your phone aside and do something real in the real world.
Even without boots on the ground, social media activism meaningfully contributes to helping secure Israel (and incidentally the free world), and we can all become virtual soldiers for our beloved country.
By Ohad Merlin
